Work holding device



y 1944' H w. PLUMADORE ETI'AL 2,347,710

WORK HOLDING DEVI CE Filed April 3, 1945 Q IN QNTOR. I

Patented May 2, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WORK HOLDING DEVICE Henry Warden Plumadore, Springfield, Thomas Collins, Jr., Westfield, and 'J ohn Oakley, Springfield, Mass., assignors to Perkins Machine and Gear Company, West Springfield, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 3, 1943, Serial No. 481,756

2 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for holding Work for machining operations.

The principal objects of the invention are directed to work holding devices adapted for various uses and more particularly for holding toothed members such as gears to facilitate machining operations thereon such as grinding operations on the central bore thereof.

According to special features of the invention, the holding device includes a shell in which an object such as a gear is receivable in combination with means for retaining the gear against movements relative to the shell for machining operations. The shell is adapted for engagement by a chuck, or the like, so that a g in p ation may be performed on the bore of the gear. Not only is it possible to hold the shell and thereby obtain the desired accuracy of the machining operationrelative to the periphery of the gear but the gear is held in such a way as to eliminate the possibility of injury to the teeth thereof.

Although the invention is adapted for broad application it'will, for purposes of disclosure, be described herein in connection with a spiral gear and it will be understood that by changes and modifications the device embodying the features of the invention may be adapted for various other objects having toothed or serrated peripheries.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the device of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1 with parts in section for clearness;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a retainer of the device; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views on the lines 4-4 and 5-5 respectively of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

A shell 2 is provided which in the form of the invention being disclosed is a cup having a pe-= ripheral side wall 4 and an annular end wall 6.

The peripheral wall is formed to receive a gear such as G in such a way that there is no appreciable looseness between the gear G and said wall 4. annular wall 8 against which a side of the gear G may abut. Said wall 8 may not be necessary or desirable in all cases and in that event the gear may abut the end wall 6.

A plurality of apertures Ill are provided in the wall 2 which in the embodiment of the invention illustrated are disposed in a direction corre- There may be an inwardly projecting spending to the direction of the spaces between the teeth of the gear G. Restricted slots I2 extend from the rear ends of the apertures l0, through the end wall 5 and are in communication with openings l4 provided in said end wall. Said openings M in the end wall 6 are formed to provide ears l6 and notches ll adjacent thereto, as shown.

Retainers iii are provided, one for each aperture Ii). Each retainer consists of a main bod; member 20 that may have a forward end and a bent up manually engageable rear end 22, all as shown.

A plurality of members 24 which may be in the form of spheres are somewhat loose on the member 26 and are held against appreciable axial displacement thereon by members 26 which are fixed on said member 20. These members 24 are of such size as to be receivable in the spaces between the teeth of a gear such as G with a more or less of a wedging action.

The members 20 are preferably made from wire, such as spring wire, having yieldable characteristics, so as to be resilient or yieldable.

In operation the gear G or other object is slipped into the shell and preferably into abutment with part 8 or the end wall 6 thereof. The end part 22 of a retainer 18 is grasped at the rear end and the forward end thereof is inserted into and through an aperture l0 so that said end is disposed below and projects beyond the wall 2 at the end of the apertures [0, as shown in Fig. 2.

With the forward end of a retainer thus disposed, the members 24 thereof are brought down into the space between the teeth of the gear which space is more or less in register with the aperture H1. The end of the retainer is then brought down through slot I2 and moved to the right beneath ear l6 and released so that it enters notch ll. Each of the retainers are associated with the shell after the manner just described.

The characteristics of the members 20 are such that with the members 24 between the teeth of the gear, the forward ends of the members 20 beneath wall 2, and the rear ends in the notch H the said members 24 are more or less yieldingly wedged between the teeth of the gear so that the gear is held within the shell against shifting.

With the gear thus releasably held by the shell, said shell may be engaged in a chuck or the like to facilitate a grinding or other desired operation on the bore g of said gear.

The gear may be released from the shell by swinging the rear ends of the retainers downwardly from notches I! to the left beneath ears but is as readily released therefrom. The shell may be engaged by chucking or other means without injury to the gear while at the same time a grinding or other operation may be performed on the bore of the gear so that it will have the desired and correct relation to the teeth or periphery of the gear.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present em: bodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and'range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters--Patent of the United States is:

l. A- work holder for a gear having peripheral teeth, a member having an end wall and an an nu-lar peripheral wall extending therefrom forming an open-ended cup'for receiving a gear, said end wallprovided with openings spaced therearound adjacent said annular wall, a plurality of elongated openings spaced around said annular wall terminating inwardly of opposite endsof said wall, said annular and endwalls provided with interconnected slots connecting the ends of said oper'iings in the-annular wall with those of the end wall, a retainer for each of said openings in the annular wall each including a' relatively flexible elongated body member having a plurality of sep-- arate members on the intermediate portions thereof, said retainers constructed and arranged whereby one end of the body member may be inserted in an opening of the annular wall to extend under said wall towards the open end of the cup with the members thereof disposed in said openlogs and in the space between the -teeth of a gear in said cup. with the other end of the body member passed downwardly through said slots into the opening of the end wall.

2. A work holder for a gear having peripheral teeth; a member having an end wall and an annular peripheral wall extending therefrom forming an open-ended cup for receiving a gear, said end wall providedlwith openings spaced therearound adjacent said annular wall, a plurality of elongated openings spaced around said annular wall-terminating inwardly of opposite ends of said wall, said annular and end walls provided with interconnected slots connecting the ends of said openings in. the annular wall with those of the end wall, a retainer for each of said. openings. in.

the annular wall each including a rel'ativelyfl'exible elongated bodymember having a plurality of separate. members on. the intermediate portions thereof; said retainers'constructed and arranged whereby one end of the body member may be inserted in an opening of the annular wall toextend under said wall towards the open end of the cup with the members thereof disposed. in said openings and in the space between the teeth of a gear in said cup with the other end of the body member passed downwardly through said slots into the opening" of the end wall, said openings in the end wall provided with notches for receiving and releasablyholdingthe said, other end of the body member of the retainers.

HENRY WARDEN PLUMADORE. COLLINS, JR. JOHN OAKLEY. 

